Replies

1. 
   Jeff_Clarke_ | Oct 09, 2000 02:29pm | #1

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   Sika products seems to be the leader in this field. But no guarantees based on your description if UGL drylock didn't do it. Can you deal with the source of the concentration of water?

   Jeff

1. 
   Phill_Giles | Oct 09, 2000 06:41pm | #2

   *In the area where I live the combination of very heavy clay soils and mass-produced poured concrete basements means that the majority of houses get a foundation wall crack/leak in their first couple of years. There are folks who make a living at fixing these cracks; usually by building an epoxy covering over the cracks with access ports bonded into the covering every foot or so. They then inject a thinner crack-filling bonder into the ports and it seals the crack. I suggest that you locate someone in your area who uses such a system (I'm pretty sure they're proprietary) and get the job done right the first time.

1. 
   Max_M | Oct 09, 2000 06:54pm | #3

   *Gray -What you are describing is exactly what I am experiencing. I have a brand new house and have two cracks that are leaking. The contractor wants to do a quick fix (UGLY) but I have heard an epoxy system is best. I am planning on finishing the basement - does anyone know if I should put a vapor barrier up before the studs go next to the concrete walls? There will be an air gap of about three inches between the studs and concrete because I have a perimeter drain I do not want to cover. I am in the northeast and it gets very cold here.

1. 
   Brian_Carucci | Oct 10, 2000 12:54pm | #4

   *The sureist fix I've seen is to chip out the crack a little deeper than you would for hydraulic cement. Also chip out the floor beyond the footing, to the footing drain. Then split some garden hose in half lengthwise and nail a length down the length of the crack, across the top of the footing and down to the footing drain. Now patch it all with Water Plug, the water will find its way to the drain instead of your floor. I must have done 30-50 of these and no leaks yet. (well one, but it was right through a pipe)some landscape fabric over the pipe to stop any silt infiltration is a good idea too.Brian Carucci

1. 
   Tim_Kline | Oct 14, 2000 12:49am | #5

   *b WBA At Your ServiceGary, Go with the epoxy repair described above. We have 2 subs which use Sika and Hilti products. This stuff flat-out works. We have excavated several foundations that had epoxy repaired cracks and all of them had hardened epoxy on 100% of the crack on the outside of the wall. This stops the water from the outside which interior patches cannot do. In 15 years I cannot remember 1 callback after a repair. We pay a $300 minimum for 16 feet of crack repair. You can do it yourself, but you need an injection gun, and the knowledge of which one of 4 different viscosities of epoxy to use on each crack. Hire a pro.

2. 
   G.LaLonde | Oct 14, 2000 01:24am | #6

   *Max, You are about to make a Big mistake! The only proper way to finish off a basement in a cold climate is to install foam insulation directly onto the concrete wall. This eliminates the cold surface of concrete behind your stud wall. If you do it the way you are planning you will eventually have warm , moist interior air find it's way into the space between the stud wall and the concrete surface and condense on the concrete wall causing all kinds of problems you don't want. Believe me, I have seen this problem dozens of times over the years.

2. 
   Gary_Roberts | Oct 14, 2000 01:24am | #7

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   I have a leaking crack in a poured wall that is inaccessable from the exterior. I am looking for a material that could be used on the interior to seal it up. I have tried the hydraulic cement route in similar situations with poor results. This is a rain water leak and not a ground water leak.